In a potentiometer setup, if the wire is made of a material with higher resistiv
Practice Questions
Q1
In a potentiometer setup, if the wire is made of a material with higher resistivity, what will be the effect on the potential gradient?
It increases
It decreases
It remains the same
It becomes zero
Questions & Step-by-Step Solutions
In a potentiometer setup, if the wire is made of a material with higher resistivity, what will be the effect on the potential gradient?
Correct Answer: Potential gradient decreases.
Step 1: Understand what resistivity means. It is a property of a material that affects how easily electricity can flow through it.
Step 2: Know that a wire with higher resistivity will have higher resistance when the length and cross-sectional area are the same.
Step 3: Remember that in a potentiometer, the potential gradient is the change in voltage per unit length of the wire.
Step 4: Realize that if the resistance of the wire increases (due to higher resistivity), it can affect how much voltage is dropped across the wire.
Step 5: Conclude that for a given total voltage applied across the wire, a higher resistance (from higher resistivity) will lead to a lower potential gradient.
